Will Creek 5350 SE drive Magnepan 1.6QR?

I would not recommend using that combo. You'll think you have good sound but you really won't have a clue how much information(music) your really missing. In that price range- maybe a little high on your budget but worth looking into- check out the Bryston 4b-st. Its not the best out there but for its price it offers a good value and lots of power which will bring your maggies to life.

Its about power. The speaker mfgr gives a range recommendation. There is a concensus that if you go a little above the minimum recomendation it can offer a sense of 'ease' at higher levels of playback, but do not get too close, or for sure exceed, the maximum.

Otherwise, expecially with the very accurate maggies, the most distortion free amp you can find/afford. The vintage Hafler DH-200/220 can consistently be found for $200. The Muse 160 for $6-800. Also if you can find a BEL 1001 (?)

Probably the best value (distortion free/build quality) is the ATI line, but Jeff Rowlands also makes a comparable amp, but it is so beautiful you can hang it on the wall ($8k though).

Dipole: ELS, planer/ribbon, or especially open baffler speakers, with a distortion free amp is going to make the selection of recordings an issue since you will then hear how poorly so many are made (grrrr).

For a list of tested and proven sonically superior CD's, in a variety of genres, see the MUSIC link at www.linkwitzlab.com It is encouraging to hear how it can be, and free you from the intimidation of poorly produced source material that can make you feel there is somethig wrong with your system/setup.

M,

My room size (24' X 14')is similar in size to yours. In your price range I would listen to an Anthem MCA-20 ($950 new), a used Odyssey Stratos with cap upgrade or extreme version, or maybe one of the Carver ZR series amps. The ZR1000 and ZR1600 amps including the neccessary mods are in your range. I have used these in the past as well as a few others with my 1.6QR's and I thought they offered pretty good performance for the money.

Good luck!